A Washington man is accused of acting on his jealousy in a very public place, in a very violent way.

Court papers accuse Karey Gallerson, 50, of using a hammer to attack his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend while the new couple was out on a date at a Tacoma Red Lobster last weekend. Investigators say that while in the restaurant’s parking lot, Gallerson confronted the new boyfriend by striking him in the head with the hammer. The new boyfriend reportedly was able to wrestle the hammer away from Gallerson, then exclaimed “I’ve got the hammer now,” according to stunned witnesses.

Gallerson has pleaded not guilty to second-degree assault and violating a no-contact order, according to The News Tribune.

Among other news from courts across the Northwest:

A convicted murderer who spent 27 years in prison, then was freed, is about to go on trial under accusations that he killed again, The Eugene Register-Guard reports. David Ray Taylor could face the death penalty if convicted in Lane County Circuit Court of murdering a 22-year-old man. After the killing, Taylor is alleged to have used the victim’s car to rob a bank.

A Salem man was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday for shooting to death his estranged wife, The Statesman Journal reports. David Paul Eaton, 46, had met Elena Nikolaevna Lobodina online. She moved from Russia to Oregon to be with him. She was 30 when Eaton killed her in 2012.

A 45-year-old Albany man is facing accusations of assault, criminal mischief and other charges after Linn County Sheriff’s deputies say he punched through the passenger’s side window of a car carrying four teens last week. The impact of Robert Raymond Ramsey’s fist shattered the glass, and cut the face of an 18-year-old woman, authorities say.